Apparatus for controlling leaks in walls



Oct. 10, 1961 STONE 3,003,666

APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING LEAKS IN WALLS Filed Oct. 30, 1959 INVENTOR BARB/IRA 57'0/Vf.

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,003,666 APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING LEAKS IN WALLS Barbara Stone, 208 Winchester Ave., Staten Island 12, NY. Filed Oct. 30, 1959, Ser. No. 849,874 4 Claims. (Cl. 222-185) This invention relates to building materials and, more particularly, to apparatus for controlling moisture, humidity, and wet floors due to water leaks in building walls.

Ordinarily, water and moisture entering the interior of building walls through cracks resulting from settlement, temperature change, and the like, ultimately reaches the floor and causes increased humidity, dampness, and the like. This situation is extremely prevalent in the basements of buildings constructed by excavating a cavity in the ground, in which the walls of the basement are formed by concrete or cinder block. After the structure is completed, settlement and temperature changes often cause cracks in the walls so that moisture from the exterior of the building, and particularly in the adjacent soil, finds its way through the cracks in the wall into the basement of the building. Such increase in humidity and dampness is not only inconvenient, but also encourages the growth of mold, the production of bad odors, and deterioration of articles stored in the adjacent area. The actual repair of such defective wall structures is not only expensive and time-consuming, but usually is only temporary as additional cracks and openings occur upon continued settlement of the building, whereupon the condition soon reoccurs. It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide apparatus for controlling moisture entering through the cracks of such building walls so as to overcome all of the aforementioned difficulties.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a liquid collector for attachment to building walls beneath moisture admitting cracks thereof, which will direct any liquid entering the building into a receptacle or disposal duct so as to prevent such moisture from accumulating upon the floor of the structure.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide apparatus of the above type which is completely selfcontained, readily attaches itself to the building wall, and which may be adjusted to direct water from the wall into a receptacle or duct spaced inwardly therefrom.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a liquid collector for controlling the accumulation of moisture within building structures of the above type, which can be manufactured at a relatively low cost, will not damage the construction or appearance of the structure, and which may be used continuously over long periods of time without special maintenance thereof.

All of the foregoing and still further objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from a study of the following specification, taken with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a liquid collector device made in accordance with one form of the present invention, in actual use.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view of the device shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged top plan view of the assembly shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a slightly modified form of construction.

FIG. 5 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken along line 55 of FIG. 4.

Referring now to the drawing, and more particularly to FIGS. 1 to 3 thereof, a liquid collector device made in accordance with one form of the present invention is 3,003,666 Patented Oct. 10, 1961 shown to include a water impervious sheath 12 in the form of a channel member having a pair of spaced apart sides and a connecting bight portion 14, which may be constructed of any desired material, such as aluminum foil, sheet plastic, or the like. A spacer element 16, such as a rope, wick, plastic spiral element, or the like, extends through the bight 14 of the sheath so as to maintain the adjacent portions of the sides of the sheath in spaced apart relationship in order to define a continuous passageway running throughout the entire length of the sheath. This passageway is used to conduct liquid along the length of the collector in a manner hereinafter more fully described.

A fibrous mass 18, such as cotton batting, or any other suitable material having fibres capable of supporting capillary action, is secured within the sheath 12, such as by staples 20 extending through the opposite sides of the sheath and the contained portion of the fibrous mass 18.

The small fibres of the mass 18 tend to cling to any rough surface, such as concrete or cinder block walls, thus making the liquid collector a substantially self-supporting device. In actual use, the outwardly projecting portions of the fibrous mass are applied directly to the surface of a wall 22 beneath the crack 24. Thus, as moisture enters the building wall 22 through the crack 24, such tends to drip downwardly into contact with the fibrous mass 18, from which it is conducted by capillary action into the interior of the sheath 12 and toward the spacer 16 extending through the passageway of the bight portion 14. When applying the device 10 to the building wall 22, one end of the sheath is turned outwardly so as to define a spout 26 which may be directed into the inte tier of a receptacle, such as a pail 28, or into an outlet duct. The opposite end of the sheath is placed at a higher elevation than the spout 26, so that water entering the sheath 12 will be directed by gravity downwardly through the spout portion 26.

It will now be recognized that this device 10 is capable of carrying 0E any normal quantity of water passing through a crack 24 in the wall 22. However, the fibres of the mass 18 will continue to cling to the rough surface of the wall long after the moisture has been removed therefrom. As a result, it is unnecessary to apply and remove the device after each use, so that it is substantially self-maintained. By thus collecting the water within a small receptacle or discharging it outwardly through a duct, the floor of the building structure is kept dry, thus reducing dampness and maintaining humidity at a minimum.

In FIGS. 4 and 5 of the drawing, a slightly modified form of construction 36- is shown which also includes a sheath 32 of water impervious material, such as aluminum foil, plastic sheeting, or the like, having a pair of spaced apart sides 34 which form a channel having a discharge spout 36 of reduced width at one extremity and being open at the opposite extremity for receiving at least partially therewithin a fibrous mass 38 similar to that hereinbefore discussed. In actual use of this device 3%), the outwardly projecting end of the fibrous mass 38 is attached to the wall 40 in the manner hereinbefore described, so that the lower spout portion '36 thereof projects outwardly from the wall into overlying relationship with a receptacle 42 or a discharge duct. In use, the back of the spout 36 may, if desired, contact the rim of receptacle 42 so as to be partially supported by it. Thus, as water is accumulated by the fibrous mass 38 and discharged downwardly by capillary and gravity action through the spout 36, it may be collected within the receptacle 42 and diverted from the floor of the building structure.

In all embodiments of the present invention, it is posdefined by the claims appended hereto.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. A liquid collector and conduit comprising, in combination a water-impervious sheath, a fibrous mass carried by said sheath, the sides of said sheath being joined together by a bight portion defining a passageway along 7 the length of said sheath, one end of said sheath defining a spout adapted to be positioned at the lowest level of said sheath, 'and said fibrous mass extending outwardly from the opposite free edges of said sides in a direction away from said passageway for attachment to a wall surface above the level of said spout, and a spacer within said bight portion preventing constriction of said passageway. 2. A liquid collector and conduit as set forth in claim 1, wherein said passageway is flexible, and the position of said spout is adjustable relative to said fibrous mass.

3. A liquid collector and conduit comprising in combination a water-impervious sheath, a fibrous mass carried by said sheath having portions projecting outwardly from one side edge of said sheath for attachment to a wall and the opposite side edge of said sheath underlying said ii- 4 brous mass defining a channel adapted to direct liquid falling from said fibrous mass into a receptacle, the end of said channel defining a spout, and being flexible, and the position of said spout being adjustable relative to said fibrous mass.

4. A liquid collector and conduit for diverting water running down a generally vertical wall, comprising in combination, a bat of absorbent fibers which has the property of clinging to a wet or damp wall; and to absorb water by capillary action, a water-impervious sheath embracing a part of said bat, said sheath being U-shaped in cross-section to define two spaced apart .leg portions and a night portion joining said leg portions, one end of said sheath defining a spout, and said bat having a part secured between said leg portions to conduct water from a Wall to said bight portion when the extending portion of said bat is against 'a wet wall, said bight portion defining a channel for any water collected, said channel being flexible and the position of said spout being adjustable relative to said fibrous bat.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS France Mar. 22, 

